Tight End

Hands

• Natural hands catcher

• Strong hands through contact. Able to take big hits and hang onto the ball

• Excellent tracking through a crowd or with a hand in his face

• Able to high-point the ball and make highlight-reel catches

• Elite catch radius 

Mismatch

• Too big and fast to be left alone with a DB

• Excellent in jump ball situations

• Too easily brought down by smaller defenders after the catch 

Separation

• His athleticism give him a natural ability to run away from his man on underneath routes across the field

• Bit of a lazy route runner. Drifts into coverage instead of finding a soft spot. Slow into his breaks

• Largely schemed open

• Relies too much on his elusiveness. Needs to use his size advantage when facing more physical defenders 

Run After Catch

• Elusive in space

• Keeps his legs churning through contact

• Would like to see better vision in space. Too often seeks out contact, sacrificing the first down or score

• Too easily chopped down by smaller defenders 

Release

• Elusive off the line to get an immediate step on his man

• Too slow off the line allows for easy coverage

• Would like to see him impose himself more off the line and at the top of his route 

Football Instincts

• Locates his blocking assignment well. Rarely looks lost

• Poor instincts against zone coverage, lazily drifts into the arms of the coverman 

Play Speed

• Moves well in space with quick change of direction. Good blend of size and agility

• Able to pull away from his man at the top of his route

• Slow breaks on his routes

• Inconsistent motor. Will take plays/routes off 

Play Strength

• Tough to bring down with the ball in his hands

• Good leg drive on down blocks to move the defender out of the run lane

• Can be pushed around by strong, edge-setting DEs 

Pass Block

• Sets a wide base and holds his own against the bull rush

• Effective screen blocker near the boundary

• Poor feel of the width of the pocket, allowing free lanes to the QB 

Run Block

• Able to step to the side and squeeze the C-gap in short-yardage situations

• Good angles at the second level

• Weak anchor

• Needs to keep his feet under him to better sustain blocks 

Production

• 2024: 16 G, 104 Rec, 1233 Yds, 8 TDs

• Career (5 seasons): 56 G, 153 Rec, 1839 Yds, 19 TDs 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games watched: USC, West Virginia, Minnesota, Oregon (2024) Illinois (2023)

• Injury History: Head (2024)

• ST Value: Average blocker, below average motor, great athleticism

• Y (blocking) or H (athletic) TE or both?: H TE. Experience in the slot and in the backfield

• Misc: Finished his career first among PSU tight ends in total touchdowns (25 total; 19 receiving, 6 rushing), receptions (153), receiving yards (1,839), receiving touchdowns (19) and 100-yard games (5). 

Hands

• Good vertical catch radius for the occasional highlight-reel pluck

• Gets his head turned and locates the ball quickly

• Will have the occasional double-catch

• Weak hands through contact 

Mismatch

• Receiver quickness in space can give LBs trouble when left alone man-to-man

• Lines up all along the line. Cans split out wide and dominate a CB

• Would like to see him impose himself a little more at the top of his route 

Separation

• Dangerous route runner. Comes off the line well, doesn’t tip early, nice hard cuts. Hard to stay with on deep crosses or drag routes over the middle

• Good use of leverage to box his man out

• Jump-ball and back-shoulder threat

• Dangerous on seam routes

• Plays very upright, limiting his route tree 

Run After Catch

• Good mix of vision and strength to find space and fight through arm tackles

• Always falls forward

• Impressive top speed to run away from the defender with the ball in his hand

• Good wiggle in space to buy a step or shake the defender

• Hard to bring down with just one defender

• Nose for the endzone 

Release

• Quick and elusive off the line. Can get on top of his man quickly if left unimpeded

• Strong off the line. Works through contact decently well 

Football Instincts

• Good understanding of spacing on switch releases and pick plays

• Needs to improve field awareness. Drifts into coverage

• Will miss blocking assignments, allowing free runners to the ball carrie 

Play Speed

• Moves like a receiver. Shifty in space 

Play Strength

• Struggles anchoring run lanes. Can be stacked and shed early 

Pass Block

• Good sustain in the open field on screens

• Solid chips. Makes sure the block is secure before releasing 

Run Block

• Good strength to move his man but will pull up early

• Good sustain downfield to ride his man well out of the play

• Not an aggressive run blocker who looks to dominate the man in front of him 

Production

• 2024: 13 G, 117 Rec, 1555 Yds, 10 TDs

• Career (3 seasons): 36 G, 180 Rec, 2396 Yds, 17 TDs

• Broke the FBS tight end record for receiving yards (1,555), receptions (117), receiving yards per game (119.615) and receptions per game (9) in a season 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games watched: Kent State, Penn State, Toledo, Western Michigan (2024), Eastern Illinois (2023)

• Injury History: Undisclosed (2023), Undisclosed (2022)

• ST Value: Great speed, Good motor, below average blocker

• Y (blocking) or H (athletic) TE or both?: H TE 

Hands

• Solid vertical catch radius.

• 3.4% drop rate in 2024

• Will look upfield before fully securing the ball, resulting in the occasional ugly drop

• Struggles securing the ball through contact 

Mismatch

• Tough matchup for linebackers who struggle to match his footspeed

• Too easily swallowed up by physicality 

Separation

• Good instincts to find soft spots in the zone

• Dangerous in the intermediate game. Has a knack for leaking behind the second-level

• Does well to get open on scramble drills

• Too easily pushed off his stem. Takes too long fighting through contact to get to his break

• Little speed variance with his routes 

Run After Catch

• Quick in space with good vision to get the most amount of yardage as he can

• Doesn’t break many tackles

• Not very elusive 

Release

• Excellent burst off the line

• Maneuvers through traffic well

• Takes too long getting into his route. Needs to get off the line and get his head turned and see the ball 

Football Instincts

• Will look lost in the run game. Needs to better know his assignment 

Play Speed

• Agile. Able to put a foot in the ground for quick breaks on his routes

• Nice, long strides to take the top off the defense 

Play Strength

• Weak anchor of the run lanes

• Thin frame for the position. Not going to overpower many

• Weak hands through contact 

Pass Block

• Plays with good leverage on screens

• Very weak anchor. Minimal power is enough to completely overpower him

• Weak chip 

Run Block

• Effective when pulling across the formation

• Too easily pushed into the run lanes

• Struggles to locate his target in space and at the second level. Takes bad angles to his man 

Production

• 2024: 10 G, 56 Rec, 582 Yds, 5 TDs

• Career (3 seasons): 39 G, 117 Rec, 1466 Yds, 11 TDs 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games watched: Oregon, Texas, Illinois, Indiana (2024) Ohio State (2023)

• Injury History: Shoulder (2024)

• ST Value: Good motor, great speed, below average blocker

• Y (blocking) or H (athletic) TE or both?: Pure H Tight End.

Hands

• Able to dig up low throws

• Needs to get head turned quicker to locate the ball

• Body catcher 

Mismatch

• Poor route running allows for easy coverage by smaller DBs

• Plays small with the ball in the air, not a jump-ball threat

• Poor hand-fighter when the DB gets hands on him

• Rarely beats man coverage 

Separation

• Maneuvers space well on scramble drills to find an opening and demand the ball

• Rounds out his breaks on his route, allowing for easy coverage underneath

• Not able to get open on deep routes. Simply too easy to trail 

Run After Catch

• Don’t tackle him high, will bounce right off

• Does not possess game-breaking speed with the ball in his hands

• Not elusive in space. Looks to drop his head and run through the tackler 

Release

• Physical out of his stance

• Lumbers off the line 

Football Instincts

• Sits down well in space

• Occasionally gets tunnel vision when blocking, allowing free lanes to the backfield 

Play Speed

• Below-average long speed, easy to catch up to 

Play Strength

• Physical at the top of the route to completely move the defender out of the way 

Pass Block

• Solid on his chips

• Maintains a nice wide base to drop an anchor against power rush moves

• Will miss late blitz

• Poor angles on screens 

Run Block

• Nasty blocker who isn't afraid to mix it up at the line. Struggles with hand placement but aggressive block temperament is enough to compensate

• Solid anchor of the run lanes

• Locates his man well on split zones

• Impressive downfield blocker both out of the slot and as a lead blocker

• Struggles mirroring his assignment in space 

Production

• 2024: 13 G, 35 Rec, 590 Yds, 7 TDs

• Career (4 seasons): 36 G, 46 Rec, 753 Yds, 8 TDs 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games watched: Florida, Florida State, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Iowa State (2024)

• Injury History: Knee (2022), Knee (2023)

• ST Value: Good blocker, below average speed, average motor

• Y (blocking) or H (athletic) TE or both?: Both

• Misc: Played in just 11 games during the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to knee injury. 

Hands

• Good size and hand-eye to high-point the ball well. Good vertical catch radius

• Gets head turned around quick to locate the ball

• Lapses in concentration lead to ugly drops

• Passive at the catch point 

Mismatch

• Would like to see him use his big frame to dominate smaller defenders in space

• Little to no speed off the line to give LBs trouble 

Separation

• Does well getting into space in the short and intermediate game

• Slow separating man coverage

• Too easily knocked off his route

• Poor speed variance. Little to no top-end speed to open up downfield 

Run After Catch

• Decently elusive in space

• Slips arm tackles well 

Release

• Slow off the line

• Not elusive off the line. Needs to work through traffic better 

Football Instincts

• Slides well with the line in a moving pocket 

Play Speed

• Impressive top speed when he gets to it

• Solid bend and change of direction for his size

• Slow acceleration 

Play Strength

• Holds his own against most DLs to move them out of the play

• Struggles staying upright and anchoring run lanes 

Pass Block

• Solid cut-blocker

• Good footwork to mirror cross-face rush moves. Excellent sustain

• Able to ride his man up and out of the pocket

• Good chip before he releases 

Run Block

• Good angles in space upfield

• Great down blocker to squeeze the end of the line

• Will struggle to cross his man’s face and seal him backside

• Poor hand placement and slow counters leads to easy stack and shed. Poro sustain of the block 

Production

• 2024: 16 G, 60 Rec, 786 Yds, 7 TDs

• Career (4 seasons): 55 G, 79 Rec, 1022 Yds, 9 TDs 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games watched: Michigan, Georgia (SEC Champ), Clemson, Arizona State (2024) Oklahoma (2023)

• Injury History: Ankle (2025)

• ST Value: Average motor, above average blocker, average speed

• Y (blocking) or H (athletic) TE or both?: Both

Hands

• Good catch radius

• Poor tracking with a man on his back

• Will have ugly, concentration drops 

Mismatch

• Easy cover for DBs. Does not impose himself physically and is not quick enough to win with his feet alone

• Not a redzone threat 

• Cannot be relied on to haul in contested balls

Separation

• Below-average route runner

• Poor post-up ability in the endzone

• Needs to sit down in zone better 

Run After Catch

• Runs with good grit. Hard to bring down 1-on-1 in space

• Slow turn-and-run ability

• Goes down easy when cut down by smaller tacklers

• Not elusive in space 

Release

• Slow off the line. Easy for DBs to close the gap

• Easily jammed and moved off his stem. Needs to be stronger or more elusive 

Football Instincts

• Good understanding of his positioning as a blocker

• Struggles to find space for his QB when the play breaks down

• Needs to have better feel of space in between zones and snap his head at the break better when he gets there 

Play Speed

• Unimpressive change of direction

• Pedestrian burst off the line

• Lacking any great long speed. Not going to outrun many 

Play Strength

• Able to take a hit and hold on to the catch

• Weak anchor in his run blocking 

Pass Block

• Good, wide base in his mirror

• Good chips

• Too slow to stay with defenders in space on screens 

Run Block

• Not explosive in his blocks, but good positionally to shield off the defender

• Good leg drive

• Slow up into the second level when comboing

• Poor balance results in easy rip-unders

• Off the field on obvious running downs and goalline situations

• Struggles to stay latched 

• Passive

Production

• 2024: 12 G, 43 Rec, 591 Yds, 3 TDs

• Career (4 seasons): 53 G, 134 Rec, 1537 Yds, 16 TDs 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games watched: Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon State, Idaho (2024) Washington State (2023)

• Injury History: Concussion (2024), Ankle (2017, 2018)

• ST Value: Slow footspeed, average motor

• Y (blocking) or H (athletic) TE or both?: Y TE

Hands

• Slow getting head turned to locate the ball

• Slow adjusting to the ball. Poor catch radius

• Poor hands through contact

• Passive to the catch point. Sits back on the ball and allows defenders to undercut him 

Mismatch

• Plays small. Easy for safeties to cover

• Not quick enough to consistently run away from LBs who latch onto him over the middle

• Not a jump-ball threat 

Separation

• Unbalanced into his breaks for some wasted steps

• Poor acceleration out of his breaks

• Shows little in the way of winning consistently against man coverage. Not strong at the top of the route. Not quick enough to run away from his man

• Poor instincts facing zone coverage. Fails to adjust his route to the defense in front of him 

Run After Catch

• Not elusive in space. Doesn’t make many miss 1-on-1

• Cut down easily by smaller tacklers 

Release

• Shies away from contact. Needs to get into his route quicker

• Not quick off the line. Needs to explode into his route better 

Football Instincts

• Needs to step into his fits better both in run blocking and pass pro.

• Runs his routes right into traffic

• Poor job getting open when his quarterback is flushed out of the pocket 

Play Speed

• Light on his feet. Quick change of direction

• Below-average long speed

• Very poor motor. Gives up on plays early 

Play Strength

• Poor anchor in the run and pass protections. Can be pushed right into the run lane

• Can be thrown around easily

• Slow working through contact downfield 

Pass Block

• Good chips

• Good awareness of the blitz

• Good range on screens

• Very poor positioning width of the pocket for easy paths to the QB

• Poro anchor, allowing power rushers to move right through him

• Poor hand placement 

Run Block

• Hands come in very wide to hug the defender

• Easily stacked and shed

• Poor balance in the drive phase

• Poor angles on split zones

• Simply too hesitant at the point of attack 

Production

• 2024: 12 G, 55 Rec, 546 Yds, 2 TDs

• Career (3 seasons): 38 G, 129 Rec, 1308 Yds, 6 TDs 

Miscellaneous Notes

• Games watched: South Carolina, Texas A&M, Mississippi, UCLA (2024) Wisconsin (2023)

• Injury History: Ankle (2023)

• ST Value: Poor motor. Poor blocker. Good speed

• Y (blocking) or H (athletic) TE or both?: H TE